Mississippi State University Roadrunners, one of the largest organizations on campus, is now accepting applications. Its goal is to recruit new students. Membership in the group provides students with the opportunity to share their enthusiasm for MSU with others looking to join the Bulldog family.
Being a Roadrunner entails writing postcards, calling and giving group tours to juniors and seniors in high school.
Roadrunners president John Thompson said the members show students around campus and get them acquainted with the university. The handwritten letters and phone calls seem to mean a lot to students, he said.
“It is pretty awesome when a student takes the time out to call you,” the junior physical education major said.
Braxton Coombs, a current Roadrunner, said the job entails a weekly meeting, being able to send up to 15 postcards per week to prospective students, spending a certain number of hours calling students, giving up to three tours per week and attending a mandatory class in which they learn more about MSU.
The class enables the Roadrunners to teach high school students about the university’s history.
An interesting fact that Roadrunners are taught is that MSU was founded because it was a quiet country town, Thompson said.
While Roadrunners is full of different and diverse personalities, everyone meshes well, Coombs said.
Coombs said MSU is one of the only schools in the Southeastern Conference that gives individual tours.
“The one-on-one tours allow you to connect on a whole different level with that family,” the junior business administration major said.
Roadrunners adviser Molly Riley, who is also the assistant director for the Office of Admissions and Scholarships, said she joined the staff because she always respected what the organization did for the university.
“We enjoy making a difference, and it is exciting to see new students on campus in the fall that we had a small part in helping to recruit to MSU,” she said.
During the selection process, applicants go through a series of interviews.
The first round is a group interview to see how well the applicants work with others.
After the first cut, students have an individual interview with the selection committee. The committee asks each aspiring Roadrunner a few questions.
When the second round ends, another cut is made, sending the remaining applicants to the third round.
The final round offers an opportunity for the selected students to meet all of the Roadrunners.
The chosen applicants receive a letter, which officially makes them members of Roadrunners.
Riley said this year, Roadrunners hopes to publicize the selection process more, get more involved in campus activities and show others how much fun the organization can be while helping MSU thrive at the same time.